Broncos Whip Seahawks 31-14 in Home Opener!

The Broncos evened their record at 1-1 with a 31-14 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Broncos forced three Matt Hasselback interceptions and another fumble on a punt return. Kyle Orton was 25-35 with 307 yards and 2 touchdowns. Knowshon Moreno added over 100 total yards and a touchdown, and rookie WR Demaryius Thomas had 8 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Eddie Royal also had a big day with 5 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Here are my quick hit thoughts on the win.......

1) Orton continues to play very well, but this was a classic Orton game against a crappy defense. He always plays well against bad defenses and this week was no exception. The key is how Orton plays against a really good defense and from behind.

2) The running game continues to struggle, but hopefully G Chris Kuper and RT Ryan Harris will both be back from injuries next week. Once those two are in the lineup, then you have to think that Denver's running game will improve. Eventhough the run game struggled, I am glad that Josh McDaniels stuck with it and Moreno still amassed over 100 total yards on the day.

3) Demaryius Thomas is going to make a lot of people forget about Brandon Marshall. There is a new beast in Denver and he wears #88. Thomas looked really good, and he could very well be an impact rookie for Denver this year. All of the sudden the Broncos WR corps has some weapons: Thomas looked solid, Eddie Royal is playing well, Jabar Gaffney is solid, and Brandon Lloyd continues to make big catches.

4) I'm still worried about this defense. Seattle moved the ball down the field on the first drive, and the Broncos got bailed out by a Champ Bailey interception. The Seahawks were moving it again when Denver got bailed out by a Brian Dawkins pick inside their own 20. Both picks were a result of a bad throw by Hasselback and not because of pressure from the Broncos. They still are having trouble with the pass rush, and I'm still not impressed by Don Martindale's blitz schemes. The run defense got bailed out today because you blinked and this game was 17-0 Denver.

5) Overall, it was a good day for the Broncos. They blew out an opponent at home for the first time since Week 2 of last year. It was a good confidence boost as they head into their toughest part of the schedule (Indy, at Tenn, at Balt, Jets). There is a very good chance the Broncos will be 1-5 after the next four weeks. This week's matchup is a very tough one because they get Peyton Manning and the Colts. Manning is 7-1 (Not counting the 2004 regular season finale when Manning played 3 plays) against Denver in his career. He has buried the Broncos basically every time. It would be nice if the odds went against him just once in his career against Denver. The Broncos desperately need to somehow, someway win this game at home. It will be a tall task but you never know in the NFL.